Place on Friday night. Fortunately, with nearly a dozen members of his own family and the O’Briens around, it was easy enough to put some distance between himself and Kelly.
When the boisterous crowd got to be too much for him, he made his way to the bar where Ryan was trying to keep up with the orders. Michael couldn’t hide his grin at how natural his big brother looked pouring ales and Irish whisky and joking with the customers.
“This place suits you,” he told Ryan, when his brother finally turned his attention to him.
“You like it, then?” Ryan asked.
“There’s a warm, comfortable feel to it I haven’t run across since a vacation in Ireland a few years back.”
“Then I’ve done it right,” Ryan said, obviously pleased. “And having you and Sean in here couldn’t make me happier. For a long time, I thought I could be content just to have this place with its crowd of regulars. Then Maggie came along and made me see what I was missing.” He nodded toward the crowd across the room. “The O’Briens are special. I didn’t trust all that love they shower on everyone at first, but it’s the real thing.”
Michael nodded. “I can see that. Not five seconds after we met, Nell O’Brien fussed over me as if I were one of her own brood.”
“You are now,” Ryan said simply. His expression turned thoughtful. “You know, if you wanted to invite your foster family here sometime, it would be fine with me. I’d like to get to know them. I never stayed with any of mine long enough to get attached. Sean had better luck, but he doesn’t see them much anymore. Of all of us, I think you’re the one who came closest to finding a real home.”
Michael tried to imagine the Havilceks here and, surprisingly, found that he could. “Maybe I will,” he said. “One of these days. I haven’t told them I’m back in Boston.”
Ryan regarded him with shock. “Why not?”
Michael tried out the same explanation he’d used on Kelly to see if it sounded any better now. “I wanted to sort things out for myself. My foster mom is great, but she’d take over and try to fix things.” He grinned. “The girls are no better. I had measleswhen I was maybe eight or nine and they just about nursed me into a mental institution with all their hovering. I couldn’t think straight. Even a cold was enough to bring out all their Florence Nightingale tendencies.” He tapped his still-useless leg. “Just imagine the frenzy they’d go into over this.”
“Would that be so awful?” Ryan asked, an unmistakable trace of envy in his voice.
Michael sighed. He’d learned only a little of what his big brother had gone through in foster care, but he knew their experiences were vastly different. He could understand why Ryan might not get how Michael would chafe under all that attention. “Trust me, it’s better this way. They’d be hurt if I refused to move in with one of them.”
“Will they be any less hurt when they find out you’ve been hiding out from them for months?”
“Not months,” Michael insisted. “Another week or two, just till I see if my prognosis improves at all.”
Ryan nodded. “Okay, then, I’ll back off for now.” He glanced across the room. “I was a little surprised to see Kelly and her brother with you tonight.”
Michael shook his head, thinking about how complicated this simple outing had turned out to be. “Kelly’s here because she thinks therapy will go more smoothly if I start to trust her.”
“And Bryan?”
“He’s here because he’s afraid I’m going to make a move on Kelly,” Michael admitted dryly.
Ryan barely contained a chuckle. “And do you intend to make a move on her? You could do a lot worse, you know.”
Michael turned and studied Kelly. She was a beautiful woman, no question about it. And there weredefinitely some sparks between them. Even so, he shook his head. “Too complicated.”
“Because you and Bryan are friends?”
“No, because she’s my best
When the boisterous crowd got to be too much for him, he made his way to the bar where Ryan was trying to keep up with the orders. Michael couldn’t hide his grin at how natural his big brother looked pouring ales and Irish whisky and joking with the customers.
“This place suits you,” he told Ryan, when his brother finally turned his attention to him.
“You like it, then?” Ryan asked.
“There’s a warm, comfortable feel to it I haven’t run across since a vacation in Ireland a few years back.”
“Then I’ve done it right,” Ryan said, obviously pleased. “And having you and Sean in here couldn’t make me happier. For a long time, I thought I could be content just to have this place with its crowd of regulars. Then Maggie came along and made me see what I was missing.” He nodded toward the crowd across the room. “The O’Briens are special. I didn’t trust all that love they shower on everyone at first, but it’s the real thing.”
Michael nodded. “I can see that. Not five seconds after we met, Nell O’Brien fussed over me as if I were one of her own brood.”
“You are now,” Ryan said simply. His expression turned thoughtful. “You know, if you wanted to invite your foster family here sometime, it would be fine with me. I’d like to get to know them. I never stayed with any of mine long enough to get attached. Sean had better luck, but he doesn’t see them much anymore. Of all of us, I think you’re the one who came closest to finding a real home.”
Michael tried to imagine the Havilceks here and, surprisingly, found that he could. “Maybe I will,” he said. “One of these days. I haven’t told them I’m back in Boston.”
Ryan regarded him with shock. “Why not?”
Michael tried out the same explanation he’d used on Kelly to see if it sounded any better now. “I wanted to sort things out for myself. My foster mom is great, but she’d take over and try to fix things.” He grinned. “The girls are no better. I had measleswhen I was maybe eight or nine and they just about nursed me into a mental institution with all their hovering. I couldn’t think straight. Even a cold was enough to bring out all their Florence Nightingale tendencies.” He tapped his still-useless leg. “Just imagine the frenzy they’d go into over this.”
“Would that be so awful?” Ryan asked, an unmistakable trace of envy in his voice.
Michael sighed. He’d learned only a little of what his big brother had gone through in foster care, but he knew their experiences were vastly different. He could understand why Ryan might not get how Michael would chafe under all that attention. “Trust me, it’s better this way. They’d be hurt if I refused to move in with one of them.”
“Will they be any less hurt when they find out you’ve been hiding out from them for months?”
“Not months,” Michael insisted. “Another week or two, just till I see if my prognosis improves at all.”
Ryan nodded. “Okay, then, I’ll back off for now.” He glanced across the room. “I was a little surprised to see Kelly and her brother with you tonight.”
Michael shook his head, thinking about how complicated this simple outing had turned out to be. “Kelly’s here because she thinks therapy will go more smoothly if I start to trust her.”
“And Bryan?”
“He’s here because he’s afraid I’m going to make a move on Kelly,” Michael admitted dryly.
Ryan barely contained a chuckle. “And do you intend to make a move on her? You could do a lot worse, you know.”
Michael turned and studied Kelly. She was a beautiful woman, no question about it. And there weredefinitely some sparks between them. Even so, he shook his head. “Too complicated.”
“Because you and Bryan are friends?”
“No, because she’s my best
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